The staff of the Portree depot have donated £17,000 to local charities since the store opened in September 2004.

Local store manager, Karl Morland, said: "Lucky2Bhere is a charity everyone in the depot feels strongly about. We wanted to donate to show our support to a truly essential local charity providing a life saving service to Skye and throughout Scotland."

Yesterday (Saturday April 29) saw 62 racers from a variety of age groups tackle the Dunvegan Castle 10k race.

Arranged by Skye Events, a local organisation aiming to promote sporting activities on the island, the race was sponsored by Dunvegan Castle and Gardens, The Therapy Studio, Kenny's Garage and The Old School Restaurant. The race was directed by Graham Watt, who also works with Skye Events.

A significant donation from funds raised from the day will go to support the Dunvegan Minibus fund.

Although the weather stayed dry, the conditions were windy, adding an extra challenge to the race.

An iconic castle, a sunny spring day and a piper - just three of the ingredients that made the Dunvegan Castle 10k Race so successful.

62 runners took part in the race, held today (Saturday April 29) at Dunvegan Castle.

The race itself involved 6.2 miles of running on a main road and an off road trail. Organised by Skye Events, a new organisation for promoting Isle of Skye sports events, the main race was preceded by a Fun Run at 10:30am.

Honeymooners Jed and Charlotte Case are still wondering if it was really the fairies who helped get their marriage off to a, well, fairy tale start!

The pair were travelling around Skye when they stopped off at the popular Fairy Pools to have a look around but on returning to their car, complete with its "Just married" message written on the rear bumper, they discovered an unexpected surprise.

For on their vehicle they discovered a handwritten note and inside a £10 note. the message read "Here's to a (small) round of drinks, a good time in Skye and a great life together."

A Taste Trail across the island could be just part of the planned Spirit of Skye Festival set for this summer.

Organisers of the event are hopint to encourage local businesses to get involved with the event, due to be held at Portree's Aros, on June 16-17.

They say: "The purpose of the festival is to celebrate and promote the fantastic food, delicious drink, vibrant music and the wonderful Island of Skye and its surrounding areas. The festival seeks to include the best produce, whiskys, gins, ales, chefs and suppliers to create a tasty and thirst-quenching visitor experience.

" It also aims to support and promote local businesses, to showcase the local produce and recognise the talent of local people. The festival plans to attract tourists, residents and visitors from across the Highlands & Islands to this unique experience and enjoy Skye."

Sleat Transport Forum's Rob Ware said: "Passengers and visitors are being inconvenienced on a daily basis with those arriving on the CalMac ferry at Armadale with no service northbound and along with those intending to travel from Broadford southbound are having to resort to seeking transport via taxi to get them to their destinations.

" Local residents who use the service for employment, shopping or other purposes are having to make alternative arrangements. Having met visitors and locals at the pier in Armadale during the past few days it is clearly evident that this is a totally unacceptable situation that cannot continue.

Highlands and Islands MSP, Rhoda Grant, has called on Uig Pier owners, Highland Council, to push through as quickly as possible upgrades and improvements.

She said “Further to the recent public consultation on the proposed design of the new dual fuel ferry for the Uig triangle I have been in dialogue with the owners of the Uig Pier; Highland Council.

"Concerns were raised on the suitability of the existing pier at Uig and its ability to accommodate the new ferry and the increased volume of travellers. As the owner and operators of the Pier it is Highland Council that is responsible for any upgrade proposals. It has confirmed it is currently investigating what investment will be required to upgrade the current infrastructure."

Three months after his death leading church figure Rev Dr Iain D Campbell has been condemned for what has been described as behaviour "seriously inconsistent with that expected of a Christian minister".

Dr Campbell, who was ordained on Skye and ministered on the island for seven years, was the centre of a thorough investigation by the Free Church of Scotland after allegations came forward of "inappropriate" relationships with four women.

The Reverend Dr Iain D Campbell was alleged to have had inappropriate relationships with four women going back to 2010.

Following the investigation by Western Isles Presbytery a statement was issued on their behalf by Rev James Maciver, who said: "The Western Isles Presbytery has completed a thorough investigation into serious allegations about the conduct of the late Rev Dr Iain D Campbell prior to his death.

"The presbytery has now sadly concluded that elements of Dr Campbell's moral conduct were contrary to, and censurable by, the Word of God (Bible), and seriously inconsistent with that expected of a Christian minister.

"Following the investigation, each local kirk session has carried out appropriate disciplinary action, according to guidelines laid down in the Practice of the Free Church of Scotland.

"Bearing in mind that the Church has a duty of care to all parties, this has been carried out in private."

Dr Campbell grew up in Stornoway on Lewis and studied at the University of Glasgow.

He was ordained on Skye in 1988 and spent seven years on the island before returning to Lewis.

Dr Campbell was the moderator in 2012 and was also well-known in the Free Church of Scotland as a theological writer.

A private gated croft estate in Elgol has gone on the market for a cool £1.25m asking price.

Mary's Thatched Cottages has been run for nearly 20 years by Mary and Drew Sim who also have their own successful website Isle of Skye cottages.

The sale would include the croft estate covering 2.6 acres which comprises of a gated community including four traditional and well appointed thatched cottages for holiday rental, a five bedroom main house with premium B&B capability together with a large well appointed barn sized shed.

Ambitious plans to create new homes in Staffin have now been formally submitted for planning approval to Highland Council.

Staffin Community Trust are a driving force behind the proposal which, if given the go ahead, would see the erection of six dwelling houses, two Class 4 business units and one Class 6 storage unit on land Land 260M South West Of Staffin Primary School.

In their application the Trust say: "A major report, which followed a study of the affordable housing need in Staffin, north-east Skye, was published in September 2014 by the Highlands Small Housing Communities Trust (HSCHT).

The report, which was funded by Highland Council and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, highlighted the alarming situation in the community including the prohibitive cost of properties for families and young people on the open market and analysed the results of the returned survey questionnaires.

Layout of new homes

HSCHT concluded there was a clear demand for new affordable housing in Staffin which would be integral for the community’s long term sustainability. One major Staffin business,which employs 20 staff, confirmed it faced problems recruiting or retaining staff on five separate occasions because of a lack of suitable housing. It also stated that it needed “at least four” affordable homes in Staffin to satisfy its current demand."

A planned new major fund-raiser in Portree has just one rule...no stopping!

For in June a team of determined swimmers will set out to make a real splash for locally born charity, Lucky2Bhere and youngsters at MacDiarmid Primary School.

If all goes according to plan the squad will stage a 12 hour continual swim which is due to take place on Thursday 29th June from 8.00am until 8.00pm at the Fingal Centre swimming pool in Portree.

Announcing the madcap idea on their new website Just Keep Swimming the organisers say: "And why are we doing this? We really wanted to make a real difference to our local community and so decided to nominate a charity.

Voters taking part in the forthcoming Highland Council elections on Thursday 4 May are reminded that in filling in their ballot papers they should use numbers against the name of candidates in order of choice, using 1, 2, 3 and so on – and not a cross.

The system being used to count the votes is the Single Transferable Vote. The ballot paper lists the name of each candidate. To be elected a candidate must reach a set amount of votes known as the quota. The votes are counted in stages. In the first stage, only first preferences are counted. Anyone who reaches the quota is elected.

Any votes received over the quota are not needed by the elected candidate and so are transferred to the second preference. If not enough candidates have reached the quota, the candidate with the lowest number of votes is eliminated and all of their votes are passed to the next preference on the ballot papers. This process is repeated until three or four candidates have been elected.

VisitScotland have put out a further reminder that their popular and much used Portree office is to close next week.

Last year Portree iCentre welcomed 151,000 visitors but it is to be temporarily relocated from Tuesday 2 May to allow refurbishment to take place.

The nearby Royal Hotel on Bank Street, within a stones throw of the existing office, will be utilised during the two weeks or so that the work is taking place. VisitScotland say this will "minimise" disruption for visitors.

When completed the new-look centre will include an upgrade of the iCentre’s digital facilities and free wi-fi. Research has shown that visitors prefer to use their own devices to access content and free wi-fi provision enables this.

A variety of emergency services were required yesterday (Apr 24) to assist an injured man on the small Isle of Eigg.

Mallaig RNLI Lifeboat was called out to take Scottish Ambulance Service paramedics to the island after the man had fallen and hurt his head. Eigg Coastguard Rescue Team were also involved assisting the evacuation of the casualty to the lifeboat.

There was strong criticism today (Apr 24) over the continuing silence from Highland Council over the on-going public transport row involving the south of Skye.

As revealed in the Skye Times on Friday due to a dispute between the local authority and McLeans Coachesthere is now no public bus service from Portree to Armadale for the forseeable future.

In an open letter to the Highland Council, SkyeConnect's Rob Ware said: "I have to say that it is extremely disappointing to hear nothing further after the extensive dialogue on Friday last which confirmed that there would be no public bus service from today on the Armadale/Broadford/Portree service.

You will be aware that the Sleat Transport Forum has been highlighting for weeks the issues that would arise if the Highland Council could not reach agreement to provide a service that was planned to be effective from today.

Loch Carron is at the centre of a major row over the impact of scallop dredging.

Marine conservationists have condemned what they say as the devastation of a rare flame shell reef which is said to have been intensively dredged recently on at least two occasions causing damage which made take decades to recover from.

Although the dredger was operating legally supporters of further protection rules see the latest incident as a failure of Scottish inshore fishery management.

Skye - its landscape but just as importantly its people - has helped provide the inspiration for a new work of fiction.

Writing under the pseudonym of Kt Adams, the self publishing German based author behind the new book says it was based strongly around her time on the island and encouraged by the local residents that she met.

Kt's latest novel follows on from her first in the series about time travellers called "Wolf and the End of the Future" which is available from Amazon.

Kt said: "The second book is basically set in Skye and as I like setting my books in locations I know, the characters of this book enjoy some of the places I loved going to when being there in Sleat.

"In a way, I wanted to commemorate some of the people in Skye who I thought were really great guys. I couldn't put in all of them, so I chose the persons who made a living at the southern edge of Skye possible by providing all the things one needs on an everyday basis."

Skye's Skeabost House Hotel was the island's sole success in this year's prestigious Scottish Hotel Awards.

The local establishment was named as Island Hotel of the Year during the 14th annual awards held at the Crowne Plaza Glasgow and hosted by Carol Smilie.

Over 400 people attended the much anticipated and prestigious event to celebrate the accomplishments of Scotland’s best hotels and hospitality professionals. Beautiful dining and exciting entertainment paced the evening and provided a memorable occasion to all attendees.

Just days after returning to service the Skye ferry will not be operating on Thursday 27 April.

The community run ferry company behind the operation of the Glenachulish, the last manually operated turntable ferry in the world, say she needs to go back to Kishorn where she spent much of the winter being re-fitted and a new deck house installed.

Casting around for new business? Then a planned Meet the Supplier session could be a good place to be.

On Wednesday 26 April, from 6.30pm-8.30pm, Marine Harvest are hosting the event at Kyleakin Community Hall as they look to find local suppliers for their needs.

Main contractors for the planned new Alltanavaig feed mill project, will be on hand covering a range of specialities from mechanical and electrical installation to raw material silos and the processing oil tanks, plus civil contractors for both the main and marine structures.

Sleat has suffered another and significant transport link setback with the news that its public bus service has been cut.

As well as on going difficulties with the Calmac ferry service between Mallaig and Armadale, which is said to be impacting on local businesses, Sleat Community Council say that the south end of Skye has now effectively been left without a commercial bus service.

Based on what they say is information received from the Highland Council Public Transport Team and Stagecoach Ltd, the Community Council said: "Due to on-going contractual issues between Highland Council and its public bus services with effect from Monday 24th April there will be NO commercial bus service operating between Armadale/Broadford/Portree.

The Highland Folk Museum, Achnagairn Castle and Tour Skye Ltd are among 37 of the region’s top tourism businesses who are heading to Scotland’s biggest travel trade event in Glasgow next week.

VisitScotland Expo, which takes place at the Scottish Events Campus (SEC) on 26 and 27 April, will be the 38th staging of Scotland’s biggest business-to-business event for the travel trade.

The national tourism organisation’s flagship show will give 276 Scottish tourism businesses – including accommodation providers, visitor attractions and activity providers – from every corner of the country the chance to showcase their products and services to more than 600 tour operators and travel agents from all over the world.

As part of MG ALBA’s strategy to provide training and support for Gaelic writers, the Gaelic Media Service (MG ALBA) is offering talented Gaelic writers the opportunity to apply for its coveted scholarship to study television fiction writing at Glasgow Caledonian University.

The MA Television Fiction Writing course is the only dedicated one year postgraduate programme of its type in the UK, providing aspiring screenwriters with the tools to embark upon or strengthen their career in television fiction writing, and MG ALBA are supporting a placement on the course for one Gaelic speaker. An option to undertake the course on a part-time basis over two years is also available.

The course is taught by a combination of leading TV scriptwriters and academic staff including course lecturer Professor Ann Marie Di Mambro whose credits include EastEnders, Casualty and River City, and Chris Dolan, author and playwright, whose credits include River City, Taggart and taking Inspector Rebus to radio for BBC Radio 4.

Social media may have stretched Skye's world famous Fairy Pools to breaking point but now it could be their saviour.

For locals who have rallied round to try and bring about much needed improvements have turned to the internet to help achieve their aims.

A Facebook page and donation website have been set up as the Minginish community aim to reach a £10,000 target which would go towards expanding car parking facilities and relieving conjestion which impacts on visitors and locals alike.

Via social media the local fund-raisers say: "The Fairy Pools is a beautiful and world-famous attraction on the Isle of Skye. In recent years, the increase in visitor numbers has stretched the limited facilities well beyond their capacity.

Crew members on-board a massive drilling ship have dug deep, into their own pockets, to support a life saving Skye charity.

A £1,000 donation has been handed over to Lucky2BHere thanks to the charity fund-raising events staged aboard the giant Stena Carron. With overall length of 228 metres and a gross tonnage of 58294 tons the huge vessel operates in seas around the world.

The Stenna Carron

Now the money raised will go towards the charity's potentially life-saving training in schools.

If you wanted a musical high then you couldn't do much better than the Cuillin on Skye.

And over the Easter week-end that's just what 75 people did as they headed into the hills for the island's very first "Concert in a Coire"

However, first of all the "audience" had to work for the opportunity to hear something different with a two hour walk to get into Coire Lagan and the one-off performance.

With snow falling at altitude, two two musicians, violinist George Smith and cellist Duncan Strachan, joined with sound engineer Sam Annand to stage the site-specific performance in the natural “amphitheatre”.

Coast Guard and lifeboat staff were involved in two island emergencies off the coast of Skye.

In an Easter Sunday incident Ambulance Control requested assistance with a casualty evacuation from Rassay which resulted in Portree Coastguard Rescue Team (CRT) helping transfer the individual to a waiting ambulance after being brought to port by Portree RNLI.

A quick..ish scoot around Skye has a whole new meaning for have-a-go Dinah Bosomworth.

For the 52 years old plans to do just that - and not to mention the Western Isles and Mull as well - all on a real life two wheeled scooter!

Starting on Thursday (April 20) the grandmmother of four, together with a bright orange kick scooter - no motor here - nicknamed Nerys will depart from Oban before making her way from Vatersay to the Butt of Lewis (The Hebridean Way), then across Skye from Uig to Armadale. Once over to Mallaig she goes on to Kilchoan, before putting in a loop on Mull and then from Oban to home in Mid-Argyll.

On the way the massage therapist, who lives in Ormsary near Lochgilphead, also hopes to raise a total of £3,500 to support the work of the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH).

For as part of the An Crùbh community complex, a brand new post office service has been opened bringing an end to an era.

For the opening co-incides wirth the retirement of long standing post mistress Flora Anne MacDonald whose family have been associated with the postal service locally for many years.

The new facility will be open during shop hours at An Crùbh.

Announcing the opening on social media they said: "We would like to pay tribute to Flora Anne MacDonald, who can now enjoy a long anticipated retirement after so many years of exemplary service to the community.

The Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust’s (HWDT) research vessel, Silurian will be making a special trip to Skye next week-end.

Whilst anchored in Armadale, HWDT are inviting local people to come on board and explore the yacht. There will be a chance to meet the team and gain an insight into life on board, the volunteer experience and the Trust’s latest research findings. Silurian will be open to the public on Sunday 23rd April from 11.30am to 1.30pm and visitors will be transported to the boat via RIB. Tours of the boat will run informally throughout this time, subject to demand.

Typically the vessel undertakes visual and acoustic surveys for whales, dolphins and porpoises, from April to October each year, supported by paying volunteers. Data collected on board over the last decade has been used to inform conservation efforts and accompany an innovative education and outreach programme.

Skye Camanachd is certain to be well represented at the funeral of a Portree grandmother with strong connections to the club.

Mary Gillies’ son John Angus Gillies is a former Skye Camanachd player and was part of the club’s 1990 Camanachd Cup winning squad. John Angus is also currently a Grade 1 referee, officiating each week at top games throughout the country.

His son, Mary’s grandson, John Gillies, broke into the Skye Camanachd first team at the start of last season and the Scotland U21 cap has been an ever-present since then.

A feast of feel-good acoustic blues, award-winning Scots trad, luscious jazz and rousing classical music is in store for Sleat audiences over the coming months as Skye’s most lively performing arts promoter continues its exciting music programme for Spring.

SEALL (Skye Events for All) is gearing up for its summer festival, which takes place from 4 July to 28 August at venues mainly around the south of Skye. Before the festival kicks off, however, the Spring programme continues to showcase the outstanding talents of some of Scotland and beyond’s most respected award-winning musicians.

Nestlé is recalling a batch of its KITKAT Original Milk Chocolate Bites Pouch Bag because it has been mispacked with KITKAT Peanut Butter Bites, which means that peanuts and nuts are not declared on the label.

This means the product is a possible health risk for anyone with an allergy to nuts and/or peanuts.

Dynamic and enthusiastic singer, Amy Macdonald, was the reason for the packed venue at Inverness.

Ironworks, the purpose-built music venue, was crammed with an audience hailing from as far as the Isle of Skye to as near as Inverness itself - all keen to see the multi-award winning singer take to the stage.

The Highland Council advises that Non-Domestic Rates (NDR) bills for 2017/18 are now being issued. NDR is also known as Business Rates.

Local Authorities in Scotland are responsible for the administration and collection of NDR including administering relief schemes determined by the Scottish Government. Rateable values are determined by the Assessor.

The Scottish Government has announced a Transitional Relief (TR) scheme for 2017/2018 that applies to certain categories of NDR properties. The scheme is in response to the rateable value increases for certain property sectors. If your gross rates liability (i.e. before reliefs applied) has increased by more than 12.5% (14.75% including an inflationary factor) you may be eligible for Transitional Relief.

Skye Live festival organisers have now got their full headline acts lined up.

Topping the bill will be art-rock outfit Django Django while some of the finest bands and DJs from Scotland and beyond will join them.

Skye Live runs on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 September with the unique venue of the The Lump in Portree being used as the festival site.

According to the organisers DJ sets from Berlin producer Apparat and Irish techno ace Mano Le Tough complete the headliners for the festival, while also on the bill are sets from Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard – who drops his second solo album Electric Lines later this month – Edinburgh electronic mainstays Finiflex, Glasgow six-piece Pronto Mama, and Lord of the Isles.

Less than two weeks into the 2017 summer season and the simmering discontent about Skye's Mallaig-Armadale ferry service has once again erupted.

Sleat Transport Forum have hit out after no less than 36 cancellations on the route since March 31 and there are now increasing concerns, despite assurances from ferry operators, Calmac and the Scottish Government, that a similar poor level of service experienced last year will plague the crossing again in 2017.

A spokesman for the Forum said: ‘this is due entirely to the deployment of unsuitable vessels on the route which are affected by tides and unable to operate in moderate winds. These problems were foreseen by the forum and the communities on both sides of the Sound of Sleat but all attempts to secure a reliable and regular service have fallen on deaf ears at both the Scottish Government and CalMac.

"The problem could be resolved at a stroke by the return of ’MV Coruisk’, the vessel purpose built for the route which is at present deployed as a second ship on the Oban-Craignure service. There are other options available to meet the needs of Oban-Craignure route if the will existed to look at these."

Skye's spectacular landscapes, used once again for another Hollywood blockbuster, are to take centre stage in a new tourism campaign.

The Isle of Skye and Wester Ross were used as filming locations for Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, which will see Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam take on the lead role.

Now UK tourism leaders have unveiled plans for a six-week international campaign showcasing locations in the film, due for release next month, which also used Windsor Great Park and the Forest of Dean in England, as well as Snowdonia in Wales.

The Quiraing on Skye and the Bealach na Ba pass on the Applecross peninsula feature prominently in the new hit movie.

Traffic was brought to a halt today (Tuesday 11 April) as part of an illustration of potential problems involved with a planned Talisker Distillery car park expansion.

Beverage company, Diageo Scotland, aim to extend their overspill car park in Carbost to accommodate 56 spaces. Currently the main car park can contain approximately 45 vehicles.

"We are one hundred percent behind developments for a new car park," stated Carbost Pier Chairman, Malcolm Henry. "We just think they are putting it in the wrong place."

Today, Mr Henry and various other locals set out to provide an example of problems that vehicles have with pedestrians walking from the site of the proposed car park to the visitor centre entrance. Mr Henry stated that the problems will become even more frequent if the car park expansion takes place.

One of Scotland’s most iconic roads will be top of the agenda at a summit on the A82 in June 2017.

Transport Minister, Humza Yousaf has asked for the meeting to be organised to bring together the various groups that have an interest in the operation of the trunk road which links the central belt with the North West and the Western Isles.

There has been significant investment in the route in recent years with improvements including the £5 million Crianlarich Bypass and the £9.2 million Pulpit Rock realignment. Work is continuing on the design stages for the upgrading of the Tarbet to Inverarnan section, which will bring further improvements alongside Loch Lomond.

In addition, in the last ten years, £82m has been spent on maintenance on the A82, with more than £11m in the last financial year.

The University of the Highlands and Islands is inviting applications for 26 fully funded PhD studentships.

The studentships, which are being funded by the European Social Fund and Scottish Funding Council, offer opportunities in a range of research areas. Topics include the use of digital technologies in healthcare, the history of distilling and whisky production, eco-tourism, salmon farming in Scotland and the impact of the nuclear industry on British communities.

Candidates from around the world are being invited to apply for the studentships by 12 noon on Monday 8 May. Successful candidates will start in October and have their fees and living expenses covered.

Talla Dearg Gallery at the Hotel Eilean Iarmain is once again running its summer exhibition series.

This year it features eight hugely talented artists and makers who will take turns to exhibit their work and will be on site for much of the time. The series runs through until mid-October.

Now on display, unitl April 25, are the creations of Ann Coomber who specialises in domestic-scale sculptures in stone and wood, based on organic forms. Each one contains a personal story or memory, recording her journey through life and landscape. This is her first Exhibition at An talla Dearg.

Just in case you were wondering the work going on at Bayfield in Portree is all part of a new community landscaping initiative.

Portree & Braes Community Trust are behind the improvements, which after securing funding, has seen volunteers involved in the work. This will continue over the coming weeks with picnic benches to be purchased and installed.

Skye's favourite ferry was today (Apr 10) getting busily back to what it does best.

After an £80,000 refit during which the original wheelhouse was replaced with a state of the art new one, new electrics and steering mechanism the Glenachulish is now better equipped then ever for its to and fro trade between Glenelg and Skye.

After several days of land and coastal searches police divers have now been called in as they continue attempts to locate missing Plockton man James Fewell.

Known locally as Bruce, the 62 years old was last seen at around 12.30am on Saturday, 8 April, at the Plockton Hotel.

Local volunteers and community members have also been involved trying to trace Bruce with searches carried out close to the area where he was last seen, along the coastline and near where he lives in the harbour area.

With Scottish Council elections taking place in just a few weeks, voters in the Highlands are being urged to make sure they are registered to vote and are able to take part on polling day, Thursday 4 May.

The call for voters to sign up comes as the Electoral Commission launches a national voter registration campaign to encourage as many people as possible to register ahead of the elections taking place this year.

The Highland Electoral Registration Officer is now also reminding voters that they need to register by the deadline of Monday 17 April otherwise they won’t be able to take part in the Scottish Council elections. If you have received a poll card from the Returning Officer, there is no need to re-register.

This has been set up at Allt a Chaim, the first house on the left as you come onto Waternish. It’s a long, white bungalow with a timber building to the side. There’s plenty of room to either pull into the top of the drive or park on the road with a shiny, aluminium bin which will be emptyed daily and taken to the Food Bank storage point in Portree. Items can also be picked up from local homes call 592304.

Police in the Highlands are warning retail staff to be on their guard following an incident of counterfeit currency being tendered within the Inverness area.

At about 5.00pm on Wednesday April 5, 2017 two young males entered the Co-op store in Wester Inches, Inverness and purchased items separately costing no more than £5 and paid with Bank of England £50 notes.

And, for Raasay's Finnian Croy his ability to click with competition judges has earned his photo creation a place in a very special exhibition.

For the teenage has just return from London's Saatchi Gallery after being shortlisted in 10 best shots selected from over 14,000 entries from 113 countries.

Although not acclaimed the outright winner of the "Selfie for Saatchi" competition, Finnian's work will still be seen by hundreds of people during an exhibition of the winners which will run in the gallery through until May 30.

Four new parking meters are having to be ordered for Skye...because they don't take the new £1 coin.

Highland Council is said to be having to order 20 new parking meters to replace not just those on the island but also others in Fort William although elsewhere the meters are reported able to cope with the changing shape and weight of the new coin.

Although the local authority has said the 12-sided coin can be used at its other car parking spaces it will mean having to order and install the additional machines, which could take as long as three months.

Popular stand-up comedian and brilliant cook, George Egg, has never visited the Highlands before but he's now heading for Skye.

The Edinburgh Fringe favourite has enjoyed sell-out performances at venues across the UK and Europe but confesses he has never been north of Scotland’s central belt.

It is with some enthusiasm, therefore, that George brings his critically-acclaimed, award-winning show Anarchist Cook on a mini tour of the Highlands this month, starting at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig on Wednesday 19 April as part of the SEALL (Skye Events for All) Spring programme.

Around the World in Eighty Days is a classic adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne published in 1873.

In the story Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employed French valet Passepartout attempt to circumnavigate the World in 80 days on a £20,000 wager set by his friends at the Reform Club.

Now, more than 144 years later, endurance athlete Mark Beaumont is capturing that same spirit of adventure with the Artemis World Cycle, his Record Breaking quest to cycle around the World in 80 days.

As a warm up to the Artemis World Cycle, he will first cycle around the coastline of Britain, setting off on 4th April to cover 3,500 miles in 15 days.

And, with Mark due in Sleat as part of the warm up, newly established business and tourism organisation SkyeConnect are encouraging local folk to turn out on Wednesday 12 April and cheer him on his way. He is expected to be at Isle Ornsay/Eilean Iarmain at around 10am.

The Food Standards Agency have confirmed that Tesco is recalling its Finest Crab & Chilli Linguine because it has been mis-packed with Tesco’s Finest Spaghetti Carbonara, which means that milk and egg are not declared on the label.

This means the product is a possible health risk for anyone with an allergy or intolerance to milk or milk constituents and/or to egg.

Redwood House at Greshornish is seeking the go ahead to create a kitchen,laundry, restaurant and staff bedrooms in the former pool building.

Highland Council is being asked to give planning permission at the Edinbane premises which would see a change of use of the former garage building to form additional guest rooms together with the erection of boiler shed.

The Raasay Development Trust has commissioned The Highlands Small Communities Housing Trust to carry out an in-depth local survey of housing need now and analysis of future demand.

Every household on the island should receive a copy through the mail, then complete it and return it to HSCHT for analysis. If you have not received a copy by mid April contact them on 01463 233 549 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.ndicating if you require a paper or electronic copy of the survey. An online option will also be available.

Portree's busy VisitScotland Information Centre (iCentre) is set for a facelift.

With the tourist season already underway the decision has been taken to refurbish the facility with work set to go ahead in early May and lasting about two weeks. During the enforced closure the centre's work will be transferred across the road to the Royal Hotel.

In an open letter to accommodation providers, local Industry Relationship Manager, Alan Mackenzie said: "I am delighted to be writing to inform you that following a very busy 2016, VisitScotland will be refurbishing the Portree VisitScotland Information Centre (iCentre) in early May in order to provide a fantastic new facility with new opportunities for visitors, locals and businesses during 2017 and beyond.

"With 151,000 people visiting Portree iCentre last year, we are committing to providing an iCentre that meets and exceeds users’ needs. The refurbishment is in keeping with our customer experience strategy and the iCentre will benefit from a complete internal redesign as well as refreshed VisitScotland branding – ensuring we are providing the optimal experience, information and inspiration at this much-used iCentre.